SURREY Heath is set to get its first academy school after Collingwood College was given the all clear to become independent from county council control.

Parents of children at the large school and sixth form college on the Old Dean in Camberley gave the plan to become an academy school the thumbs up last week.

As a result, Collingwood hopes to become an academy by July, ready for the new school year.

The move will give the school more control over its budget, which is currently overseen by Surrey County Council.

Once the plan gets government approval, Collingwood will get its money directly from the government and will have more say over how it is spent.

It will also mean the school will be able set its own curriculum, as well as pay and conditions for staff.

A statement released on the school’s website last week told parents: “At this morning’s meeting of the governing body, the governors voted unanimously to authorise the chairman of governors to sign the funding agreement with the department for education.

“Effectively, subject to the Secretary of State himself signing the agreement, this represents the last formal stage in the college’s decision-making process on conversion to academy status, which we hope will take effect on July 1, 2011.”

Collingwood principal Jerry Oddie said money was the main motive behind the school seeking to become an academy.

He said: “The parents are in favour of it and the staff are in favour of it.

“It is all about funding and the freedom to make decisions without external interference, other than from the department of education.”

Mr Oddie said schools were preparing for a squeeze in funding over the next few years.

He said sixth forms were expected to be especially badly hit as budgets tighten.

However, he said the school, which caters for around 2,000 students, had calculated that it would be financially better off by freeing itself from local government control.

Mr Oddie said the school had worked out that the council spent around £560,000 on services for Collingwood.

He said once the school started commissioning the services itself, he was confident it could end up with a £300,000 surplus.

Schools have only been able to apply to become academies since last year.

The last Labour government brought in academies as a way to improve failing schools.

Last year, the coalition government passed an Act allowing schools with excellent or good Ofsted ratings to apply to become academies.

Mr Oddie did not think the move would be a huge one for Collingwood as it was already a more independent foundation school.

“Generally speaking, we are accustomed to being master of our own destiny by being a foundation school so becoming an academy is not a huge step,” he said.

“I am not saying academy status is a panacea. It is important to understand the maths only really works when you have a fairly big school. It does not work so well with small schools.”

Mr Oddie said there would be little change for parents if the school was to get its academy status.

He said the main difference at first would simply be that the word ‘academy’ would be added to the school’s sign.

Mr Oddie said there would be no change in the work that Collingwood does in the community, or with other schools.